1938 Graham Model 97 Convertible

Joseph, Robert, and Ray Graham introduced their automobile in 1927, but in 1938 they showed their most striking design, the 'Spirit of Motion,' better known today as the 'Shark-Nose Graham.' This unusual car is one of a pair of supercharged Model 97 Grahams bodied by Saoutchik. Among its many unique features are parallel opening doors and a short, swept-back chrome-framed folding windscreen.

It was the final creation of Amos Northrup, an early pioneer in automotive aerodynamics. European coachbuilder Jacques Saoutchik took Northrup's aerodynamic lines and installed custom cabriolet bodywork on the 'Sharknose' chassis. It sported a jutting prow flanked by curved fenders with headlights blended smoothly into their leading edges. The radiator seemed to bend around the hood. The pontoon fenders with shrouds over the rear wheels and a built-in trunk were not altogether new in 1938 but no American car had ever carried them so audaciously.

Both Saoutchik-bodied Grahams were displayed at the 1938 Paris Salon, with this example being the more 'special' of the pair. It had a folding windshield and cantilevered doors. It was shown again at the Faire de Lyon in March of 1939.

It was ordered by Maurice Reb and was first shown at the 1938 Prix d'Avant-Garde at the Foire de Lyon in France. Monsieur Reb joined the French Army in 1939 and, with his car, was assigned as a driver to General Alphonse Pierre Juin while stationed in Algiers. Late in 1940, Reb returned the car to Algiers and around this time, it was converted to operate on coal gas due to wartime fuel supply restrictions. Reb sold the Graham to the Army in late 1942, who then put a military vehicle gas engine in the car. It remained there for two more years and was used as a staff car during that time.

After its service in 1944, the Graham was sold to an American Chrysler employee, Thomas Demetry, from the French Army Service of Supply, and taken to Michigan. It was later traded among enthusiasts in Michigan until 1966 when it was sold by Morley Murphy to William Harrah for his Nevada museum.

Edmund Kowalski acquired it in 1981 from one of the Harrah's Automobile Collection dispersal auctions and set about restoring it, hoping to show it at Pebble Beach. Sadly he passed away before the restoration was finished. The current caretakers acquired it in 2013 and completed its restoration. Around half of the body wood was replaced during the restoration due to dry rot, however, the majority of the body sheet metal was able to preserve. The complete electrical system was rebuilt to function correctly, including the original tube-type AM radio. A period-correct engine and supercharger were rebuilt. Much of the interior trim work was missing. Molds were made and the plastics for the instrument panel were cast using the original swirled two-tone colors.

In 2015, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the first time the car had been shown since its debut in France. It was awarded 2nd in Class. Also in 2015, it was shown at the Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Ontario, Canada where it was judged Best of Show. It has also been accepted by the Classic Car Club of America as a Full Classic.